Good day!
Today's article is quite practical: it is not so rare that it becomes necessary to connect a hard drive from a computer (laptop) directly to a USB port (for example, to transfer a large amount of data from one PC to another, to recover information, treat viruses, create backups, etc.). etc.).
Also, as an option, you can simply remove the disks from the old PC / laptop and use them as external drives (convenient for transporting a large amount of information). Why not?! (why spend extra money on an external drive when you can use the old one ... ✌)
In this article I would like to give several options for solving this problem. In general, there is nothing complicated in it, but there are certain features that I will try to focus on.
And so, closer to the topic ...
Addition!
How to connect a second hard drive to a computer, laptop - //ocomp.info/kak-podklyuchit-vtoroy-hdd.html
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Connecting a hard drive to USB
Option 1: through a special adapter
Using an adapter is the simplest, most convenient and cheapest option (however, there is a minus - the disc is not protected from external influences in any way: dust gets on it, something can spill, etc. It is more suitable for home desktop use).
Such an adapter is a regular cable with SATA (IDE) and USB interfaces (see the screenshot below). Note that among the adapters there are universal options (i.e. SATA + IDE (it can be very convenient if you have different drives)).
Addition!
You can find and purchase such adapters in Chinese online stores. I collected the best of them in one of my notes - //ocomp.info/kitayskie-internet-magazinyi.html
SATA to USB adapter
Universal adapter (you can connect both an old IDE disk and a SATA version)
As for the direct use:
- just connect the disk to the USB port of the laptop (PC) and open the explorer - then you can use it as a regular drive;
- if the drive is in "On my computer" is not displayed (often happens with new drives) - you need to go to disk management and format it (how to do it - //ocomp.info/zhestkiy-disk-ne-otobrazhaetsya.html).
The SSD drive is connected to the laptop's USB port using a special. cable
What you need to know before buying an adapter:
- the interface of the disk that you want to connect to USB (now you can find IDE and SATA interfaces, the difference between them is shown in the photo below);
SATA III and IDE - a comparison example
- the physical size of the disk (usually measured in inches). Laptops use 2.5 "drives (or they are also referred to as 2.5"), computers use 3.5 (or 3.5 "). The fact is that a 2.5 "drive can be connected without an additional power source, and for a 3.5" drive it is necessary (different adapters!);
Comparison of dimensions of 2.5 "and 3.5" drives
- pay attention to the supported interfaces: there are adapters that work over USB 2.0, there are those that support USB 3.0. If you have a USB 3.0 port on your computer - of course, you should choose an adapter that supports the same interface. In general, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are backward compatible (that is, both adapters will work), however, USB 2.0 works much slower (~ 2-2.5 times), its speed when copying / reading files will be only ~ 25-30 MB / s (however, this is enough for most tasks).
How to tell a USB 3.0 port from a USB 2.0 port
Important!
This applies to adapters without additional power supplies.
Some users connect several devices to one USB port at once: a disk, a phone charger, a mouse, etc. It may happen that the power supply from the USB port will no longer be enough for the disk and it will become invisible (or it will "disappear" when you try to copy information to it).
To avoid this: try to connect one drive to one USB port. If you need to connect 3-4 external drives - use special. hub (splitter) with a power supply (photo below).
USB hub with add. food
Option 2: using containers (BOX)
Note: BOX is translated from English. as a "box" (or container).
This option is good because the disc in it is more protected (from dust, moisture, vibrations, drops *, etc.), and you can use it not only at your home desk, but also take it with you.
In principle, there are as many such containers, as well as adapters: there are for SATA and IDE interfaces, as with add. power sources, and without them.
BOX for connecting a 3.5 '' disk to USB
When choosing such a container: everything that is said about the adapter is also relevant here, plus pay attention to one more detail - the thickness of the disk (this applies to 2.5 "inch models)! The fact is that in laptops there can be disks as thick as in 9.5 mm and 7 mm (they are usually marked with slim (thin) markings).
So, if you buy a container for a thin drive (7 mm), then you will not be able to insert a disc into it, the thickness of which will be higher ...
Option 3: using a docking station
A docking station is a design for connecting several devices to a PC / laptop at once: disks, flash drives, memory cards, phones, tablets, and other equipment. Moreover, the station itself can be connected to a PC using just one USB cable.
This option is suitable when you want to quickly and easily connect multiple hard drives to a USB port at once (of course, this is not a portable option). As a rule, many docking stations are equipped with additional. ports: USB, SD / MMC, X-Memory, MS, etc. (see photo below).
Docking station (as an example) / Clickable
In general, docking stations can be equipped with a different number of ports, have slots for connecting not only 2 disks, as in the photo above (but also more), support various protocols (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.). They are used most often when it is necessary to work with a large amount of information, with several drives at once.
Note: often docking stations are made universal - you can connect both 2.5 inch drives (from a laptop) and 3.5 inch drives (from a PC) to them.
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Supplements on the topic of the article are welcome ...
All the best!
👣
